1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a droplet discharge device and to a method for controlling a droplet discharge device, wherein drawing on a workpiece by a functional droplet discharge head and inspection of the functional droplet discharge head are performed along a common movement axis.
2. Related Art
An example known in the art of a droplet discharge device of such description is one in which discharge inspection of the functional droplet discharge head is performed while a workpiece is being placed or removed (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-6212).
This droplet discharge device comprises an X-axis table for moving the workpiece set on a workpiece table in an X-axis direction, a Y-axis table provided so as to span across the X-axis table, and two carriage units mounted on the Y-axis table and having a plurality of functional droplet discharge heads. In addition to the workpiece table, a target unit for receiving inspection discharges from the functional droplet discharge head and a periodic flushing box for receiving flushing discharges (flushing) from the functional droplet discharge head are moveably mounted on the X-axis table, and a photography unit for performing image recognition of deposited dots that have been discharged for inspection on an inspection sheet is suspended from the guide rail portion of the Y-axis table.
A drawing area for discharging functional liquid and performing drawing is set up in a region where the X-axis table and the Y-axis table intersect, and an alignment position for aligning the workpiece or for placing and removing the workpiece is set up in a region separated in the X-axis direction from the drawing area. When the workpiece is moved to the alignment position via a setting table, the periodic flushing box moves directly beneath the functional droplet discharge head (carriage unit), and the target unit which is positioned between the setting table and the periodic flushing box moves directly beneath the photography unit. In this state, placement, removal, and alignment of the workpiece (the placement/removal action) are carried out, and while the placement/removal action is being carried out, the flushing discharge (maintenance action) from the droplet discharge head onto the periodic flushing box is carried out, as is the image confirmation (discharge inspection) by the photography unit.